Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug 26;192(9):624.
doi: 10.1007/s00604-025-07476-4.

A novel NiCaAl-LDH@ND-COOH nanocomposite-modified electrode for highly sensitive and selective electrochemical detection of larotrectinib in pharmaceutical and biological samples

Elif Naz Öven  1   2 , Asena Ayse Genc  3   4 , Nevin Erk  3 , Hassan Elzain Hassan Ahmed  5 , Mustafa Soylak  5   6   7
Affiliations

A novel NiCaAl-LDH@ND-COOH nanocomposite-modified electrode for highly sensitive and selective electrochemical detection of larotrectinib in pharmaceutical and biological samples

Elif Naz Öven et al. Mikrochim Acta. .

Abstract

A novel electrochemical sensor based on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a NiCaAl layered double hydroxide with carboxyl-functionalized nanodiamonds (NiCaAl-LDH@ND-COOH) was developed for the first time to enable sensitive and selective detection of larotrectinib (LARO), the first selective pan-tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor used clinically for cancer treatment. The nanocomposite was synthesized by integrating NiCaAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) with carboxyl-functionalized nanodiamonds (ND-COOH), resulting in enhanced electrocatalytic performance. The individual electrochemical properties of ND-COOH and NiCaAl-LDH were systematically evaluated and compared with those of the combined nanocomposite. ND-COOH contributed high surface area, low background current, and improved conductivity, while NiCaAl-LDH offered abundant redox-active sites and high ion-exchange capacity. The NiCaAl-LDH@ND-COOH nanocomposite exhibited a synergistic enhancement in electron transfer kinetics and surface activity, as evidenced by cyclic voltammetry and impedance studies. Under optimized conditions, the sensor displayed a wide linear detection range (1.0 to 16.37 µM) and a low detection limit of 4.36 nM. It also demonstrated excellent repeatability (RSD = 1.3%), reproducibility (RSD = 1.23%), and high selectivity against common interferents. Successful application to pharmaceutical formulations, serum, and urine samples confirmed its practicality, achieving recoveries between 96.7% and 102.6%. This work provides the first electrochemical sensing platform for LARO, offering a reliable and cost-effective tool for its monitoring in clinical and pharmaceutical settings.

Keywords: Differential pulse voltammetry; Electrochemical sensor; Larotrectinib detection; Modified glassy carbon electrode; NiCaAl-LDH@ND-COOH nanocomposite; Pharmaceutical samples; Trace analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: No approval of research ethics committees was required to accomplish the goals of this study because synthetic materials were used in the experimental study. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Numakawa T, Odaka H (2023) Roles of Trk receptors, tyrosine kinase receptors for neurotrophins. the developing CNS, in Receptor tyrosine kinases in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Elsevier, pp 79–115
    1. Amatu A, Sartore-Bianchi A, Siena S (2016) NTRK gene fusions as novel targets of cancer therapy across multiple tumour types. ESMO Open 1(2):e000023
    1. Gambella A et al (2020) NTRK fusions in central nervous system tumors: a rare, but worthy target. Int J Mol Sci 21(3):753
    1. Chetty R (2019) Neurotrophic tropomyosin or t yrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) genes. J Clin Pathol 72(3):187–190
    1. Aljehani, M.R., et al., The importance of histopathological evaluation in cancer diagnosis and treatment. International journal of health sciences. 7(S1): p. 3614–3623.